The Hoenn Master Cup
by mode.9800
Summary: Following loss their losses in the Kalos League and the Master Class respectively, Ash and Serena must figure out their next step on their journey when and exciting new tournament is announced in the Hoenn Region. It will take a variety of Ash's Pokemon new and old to compete in this new challenge against many former rivals from all over the world.
1. Chapter 1

A few words of background before we begin. This is meant to directly follow the XYZ ending just a few episodes before the end essentially slotting in during "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life", directly after Serena's phone call with Pilemo. What that means is Ash never releases Greninja or returns Goodra to its home.

Serena walked out of the phone stalls and back towards Clement and Bonnie's home. She wasn't sure how to feel, going out on a performance journey was what she knew she had to do but that also meant going a different direction than Ash. She knew he wanted to start anew, discover new lands and new pokemon.

"Hey Serena" Bonnie said as Serena entered the house. "You look sad, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine just thinking about the future" Ash and Clement came into the room and when she looked at Ash her heart sank. "Hey Ash, could I talk to you"

Ash smiled and said "Sure what's on your mind"

"Maybe we could go for a walk"

"Okay" Serena led Ash out the door and into the night.

"Wonder what that's about" said Clement with some confusion

Exasperated Bonnie look at her brother "You really are clueless sometimes"

Ash and Serena walked out into Lumiose City, even after dark the while city was illuminated. The damage from Team Flare was starting to subside, there was plenty of construction, fixing roofs and side-walks that were damaged but on the whole the city was looking beautiful as ever.

As they walked past a small café "So what did you want to talk about"

"Well I have been thinking all about my future how I can become a better performer, and I was thinking about going on a performance journey of my own to the Hoenn Region. There is so much I want to learn about preforming and there I could try out Pokémon contests".

"That sounds like a great idea", Ash pet Pikachu and smiled "Hoenn that really takes me back".

"You think so?"

"Of course, going new places and trying new things is incredible and the Hoenn region is really cool".

"The thing is I am excited but there is also something else"

"What is that"

"You"

"Me?"

"Ash, I have enjoyed travelling around with you so much and earlier when you said that I could keep travelling with you that was what I wanted. But you taught me to follow my dream and go wherever it takes me and Hoenn is where I should go"

"Serena, you will be fine, you are strong and talented, nothing is going to hold you back if you want to do something"

"Oh Ash", Serena could feel her face blushing as she moved closer and kissed him. Ash was surprised but kissed her back for a moment. Serena then panicked and backed away. "well looks like it is getting late maybe we should go back" Serena didn't say another word.

When she woke up Serena felt strange, "did that really happen" she thought. It wouldn't have been the first time she had dreamed about kissing Ash but something told her that this time it was real. Suddenly the panic set in "Ahhh, I kissed Ash. I kissed him and just walked away, didn't say anything, AHHHH" Serena didn't know what she was going to do. She had made her decision about travelling to Hoenn and hoped walking with Ash would make her feel better about it. Of course, Ash had made her feel better but that just reminded her how much she didn't want to leave him and now there was this kiss. Serena decided she would go down stairs and see how she felt when she saw him. As she got downstairs Ash and Clement were sitting at the table watching something on TV.

"Come one come all and face the greatest battling challenge you have ever seen", a voice came out of the TV. A man with red hear in a Black and Red Cape was standing next to blue haired main in teal and white shirt and a woman in black pans with a black coat. The women said, "We are pleased to announce a special tournament in the Hoenn region, open to anyone who has earned at least 16 badges. This will not be your run of the mill regional tournament, this year we are looking for trainers from all over the world to come and take part in this historic event" The blue haired man then added "If you think you have what it takes, come to Evergrand city and register from the Pokémon World Cup"

"That was Cynthia, Lance, and Wallace", Ash said looking at the TV in amazement "there of the strongest trainers in the world, though I guess Wallace is no longer the champion now that Steven is"

"are you going to compete, I though you said you wanted to start over" said Clement

"Starting over can wait. I have to get in to that event, there are going to be lots of strong trainers and I am going to win it" Ash clenched his fist and felt a surge of excitement.

"So, wait does that mean you are going to the Hoenn region?" Serena was starting to blush she felt like she had come to terms with leaving Ash, but suddenly she had hope.

"Yea, looks like it is time to go back to Hoenn" Ash looked at Pikachu, "It's been a while hasn't buddy"

"Oh, right you already travelled around Hoenn once", said Clement

"yup, it was the first time I ever started fresh. It would seem both of us are heading to Hoenn then. You know we can continue to travel together if you want" Ash looked at Serena and saw how much she was blushing

"Wait, you are going to Hoenn Serena?" Asked Bonnie

"umm…I'm not, Well I was thinking about trying to learn about other forms of performance and Pilermo suggested I look, wait you mean that Ash?"

"Of course, I said you were welcome to travel with me".

Serena's heart began to pound, she knew that she desperately wanted to continue travelling with Ash, but what would it mean? When she kissed, him she did it thinking that this was the end and she just wanted to do it before it was too late. Now what would it mean. She would hope that they were together but then how would that work.

"when did it say the tournament began?"

"3 weeks in Evergrand city"

"Ok so we should look into travelling to the Hoenn Region"

"I was thinking about going back to pallet town first, I need to look at the pokemon that I have at Professor Oak's and I should probably say hello to my mom"

"So, the kanto region then, let me look at flights"

After looking a bit Serena found flights to Kanto Serena found them two seats that would take them to Viridian City, Ash informed her that it wasn't a far walk from there to Pallet Town and they would figure out how to get to the Hoenn Region later. Serena was extremely nervous about travelling to Ash's home but she thought she had some time to figure out exactly what was going on. Traveling with Ash was something she was used to and hopefully that would help clear her head.

The four made their way to the Lumios airport. Ash looked out over the streets and for a moment it hit him that he was leaving Kalos. Ash had travelled all over the world by now but there was something unique about this region. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it but the culture of Kalos wasn't something he had experienced before and he knew that he wouldn't be getting it outside of this place. Just the smells coming out of all the cafes and bakeries would be nowhere to be found as soon as he got on that plane. Going home always brought on a strange feeling for Ash, it, it was the end of one adventure but of course the beginning of another. Sure, he wanted to get home and see his mom and he would always be excited about seeing his Pokémon back at Professor Oaks. But Ash was obviously most captivated by this new challenge that was ahead of him"

"Ash would never admit it but his loss to Alain hurt him harder that he let on. The business with Lysander and Team Flare pulled him away from it but now that he had time to think, this was the first time he had really tasted victory in a regional tournament. There had been some good results and he was proud of his accomplishments but the Kalos league was h0is real opportunity to pull it off and he had been so close. A part of him was really glad that this new tournament was starting soon without the usual badge requirements. Ash liked travelling a region, collecting badges normally but this time he wanted right back into the action and luckily, he was getting just that.

The group made it to the airport and entered. Clement had talked about the improvements he was planning for his gym. Bonnie on the other hand had not said a word the entire walk, she just looked down at her bag. As they approached the gate Serena said "Look Ash this is our terminal"

"Wait does this mean we are saying goodbye, I don't want you two to leave" Bonnie said looking at her brother sadly

"Bonnie, Ash and Serena need to move on with their journeys, we need to support them"

"It's ok Cement", Serena put her hand on Bonnie's shoulder "Bonnie I know that it is sad to say goodbye but we will still each other, you know I won't be away from Kalos forever and we can still talk on the phone"

"Don't worry Bonnie, goodbye isn't permanent, and one day when you start your journey you can come and visit me, and when you do we will have a battle", added Ash

"You mean it?"

"100%" Ash clenched his fist into the air

Clement looked at Serena "Serena I am going to miss having you here, you were such a big help taking care of Bonnie on the road and you showed me how to chase your dream and preserve through difficult times".

"Aww, thank you Clement, I am going to miss you too"

Clement turned to face Ash "Ash, I want to thank you for all this time. Travelling with you has made me into a better gym leader. I see how important it is to have the right attitude and play to my Pokémon's strengths not just what would make the most sense on a computer. One day I want you to return to the Lumios Gym and we will have another battle, by that time I will have gotten even stronger"

"You can count on it Clement"

With that Ash and Serena said their goodbye and made their way through the terminal and onto the plane. The flight was pleasant enough, Ash did most of the talking, stories about his home and his travels through Kanto and Jhoto. Serena had planned to use this time to discuss their relationship but she never found the right moment. She could tell how excited Ash was to be starting this new quest and she liked listening to his adventures, but it did mean that there was no time for what she wanted to talk about.

They reached Viridian City after a few hours and departed the airport.

"Oh, wow Viridian City it has been such a long time", Ash said taking a big breath.

Serena looked around and she immediately could see the difference between here and Kalos. It wasn't one thing in particular but the fashion wasn't there, there was a lack of bread wafting from bakeries. She didn't dislike it per say, but it would certainly take some getting used to. They walked through the city and saw what looked like a gym.

Ash looked up, "The viridian city gym, that was certainly a story"

"What happened there"

"It was right when I first got Pikachu" Ash rubbed Pikachu on the head, "Thanks to team rocket Pikachu's electric attack sorta destroyed the gym, it took a while to be rebuilt".

"So, team rocket was bothering you even back then"

"Yea, they've basically been around since I started, the really crazy thing was for a while this gym was controlled by Team Rocket"

"How did Team Rocket have a gym"

"Well, it wasn't like that officially but it turned out the gym leader was head of Team Rocket, but from what I've heard there is a new gym leader.

They stopped in at the Pokemon Center to rest for a bit and then set out towards Pallet Town. It was roughly a day's journey from Viridian to Pallet but as they were tired from the flight they decided to stop and camp off Route 1. Ash wanted to get home first thing in the morning so getting as much of the travel done was important. This presented a problem for Serena, back in Kalos when they camped the 4 of them mostly needed 2 tents. Serena had slept with Bonnie while Ash's and Clement had shared. It was never something they had talked about, just what seemed the most natural. Now however, things were a bit different. They had no need for a second tent for space.

They still hadn't exactly talked about where they stood and the possibilities scared her a little. Serena wasn't exactly ready for that but she didn't know what Ash would be expecting.

"I have an idea", said Ash looking up at the sky, "It's a beautiful night why don't we just sleep under the stars"

Serena blushed a little and replied "Are you just trying to get out of pitching a tent without Clement's help" Clement had of course handled most of the tents when they traveled.

"Well he always made it look so easy and now I'm not even sure I remember what to do", Ash said with a chuckle

"Ok, let's just sleep here then"

The two got ready for bed, Serena had been worried about the sleeping situation and she didn't realize how tired she as after all the travel and she fell asleep quickly after lying down.


	2. Chapter 2

Ash and Serena walked out of Ash's childhood home and made their way down to Professor Oak's lab. They had said a hello to Ash's mom but Ash was eager to see his Pokémon and begin training. Serena was always a bit in awe of how much he seemed to love training. Sure, Serna knew the value of practice in Showcase's but for her it was a necessary part of it. Ash on the other hand, seemed to truly relish just working with his Pokémon.

When they reached the lab they were greeted by Professor Oak and Tracy.

"Tracy, hello. How have you been"

"It's good to see you Ash, always continuing to learn and study" Tracy looked at Serna

"Serena this is Tracy, we traveled all through the Orange Islands together, since then he has stayed here as Professor Oak's assistant. Serena is a pokemon performer who I my Kalos journey with. She is going to try pokemon contests in the Hoenn region"

"Well it's nice to meet you serena" Tracy outstretched his hand and shook Serena's

"Likewise"

"Ash if you come out back, there is someone here I think you will want to say hello to", said Professor Oak.

The four made their way through the lab and onto the ground outside. A guy with brown hair and a black collared shirt was kneeling with a group of Pokémon. A Blastoise, Electivre, Arcanine and Umbreon. Ash hadn't seen Gary in over 2 years and it was a little strange to see his old rival after that much time.

"Hey Gary"

Gary got up and turned to face Ash with a smile. "Oh, what do you know, Ashy-boy. I figured I'd be seeing you soon enough"

"I thought you were still researching in Sinnoh"

"I was but when I heard about this new tournament I started getting excited. I haven't seriously battled in a while but something about this made me want to try my hand again".

"Wait, are you saying you're going to be competing". Ash looked stunned. He expected that this tournament would bring out competition but Gary was something else. Ash still looked at his victory over this childhood rival all those years ago, as one of his biggest accomplishments. When he found out Gary had decided to follow his grandfather and become a researcher a part of him was disappointed.

"Yea and this time things are going to be a little different, Ashy-boy"

"Gary I'd like you to meet Serena, we met in Kalos"

"Hello Serena. Good to meet you"

Serena looked at Gary. "So your Gary, I've heard a lot about you from Ash". She had heard the name many when Ash about the early days of his journey. Ash had described him as an almost larger than life personality but she didn't see it.

"Hey Ash, how would you feel about having a battle. I have been doing some training to get myself back up to a level to where I feel like I can compete".

This got Ash's blood pumping, a battle with Gary was always a test.

"Sounds good, but first I want to see my pokemon, hey Tracy do you know where they all are"

"If I am right Bulbasaur heard you were coming back and they should all be gathering somewhere".

When they found the spot, All of Ash's pokemon were eagerly waiting for their trainer. Some of them like Bulbasaur and Kingler and spend a long time at the professor's lab and were used to this cycle. Ash ran up and greeted all his old friends as well as brought out his Kalos team to meet everyone. Tracy had already told most of the pokemon of the upcoming event and many of that Ash would most likely be using some of them soon.

"So, who here is ready for another adventure", said Ash. All of Ash's Pokémon spoke up at that. After all they were Ash's and many of them shared the same type of excitement before battle that he did. Ash thought about who he wanted to battle Gary with. He usually didn't have to make a choice among this many.

"all right Gary, are you ready"

"of course"

They walked over to a spot that would be right for battle.

"I guess I will referee" said Tracy as he stood in between the two. "Both trainers will use only one pokemon and the battle is over when one side's pokemon is unable to battle"

Gary clenched a pokeball in his hand. "Go, Electivre"

"Sceptile, I choose you"

"Ready… Begin"

"Sceptile, leaf blade"

"Electivire thunder punch"

The two pokemon charged at each other and traded 3 blows with their respective moves.

"Sceptile move back and use bullet seed" Sceptile took 3 steps in back and launched bullet seed from its mouth directly at Electivre. The move landed hitting Electivire square in the chest.

"Eletivire give em a thunderbolt" electricity erupted out of Electivire's antenna and struck down on Sceptile.

"Sceptile, oh no" Despitre the attack Sceptile managed to stay on its feet. "Lets give them leaf blade again"

"Dodge Electivre" Sceptile charged forward but before it could strike, Electivire hit the ground with its tail and jumped into the air "Now Electivire, thunderbolt" from above Electivre fired its thunderbolt directly down towards Sceptile.

"Sceptile, guard yourself using leaf blade", Sceptile raised both its arms into the air and hit the bolt hard with and X like motion, diverting the attack to the side. "Way to go Sceptile, jump and use Pound" Sceptile launched itself above Electivire and made to strike from above

"Protect Electivre" A green barrier formed around Electiver just as Sceptile's tail struck deflecting most of the energy but both pokemon fell back towards the ground.

"Leaf Blade" Sceptile was the first to its feet and hit Electivire in the chest with its blade. The force of the attack knocked Electivire off its feet.

"Eelctivire are you ok?" Electivire quickly got to its feet "Good, thunderbolt" Electivire fired its move at Sceptile

"Use quick attack" Sceptile moved forward quickly evading the attack

"Iron tail" Electivire met Sceptile's quick attack with an iron tail causing both pokemon to fly backwards, after a brief moment both got back to their feet. It had been too long since their last battle, Ash thought. Battles with Gary always brought out something a bit different in Ash, made him struggle.

"Not bad, Ashy-boy" Gary said with a smirk, like Ash there was something different about their battles for Gary. He had never admitted it but Ash had pushed him more than any other trainer, the simple desire of wanted to always stay ahead.

"Electivre lets finish this. Thunder" Electivire fired a huge jolt of electricity across the field.

"Counter that with Leafe storm" Sceptile turned and launched a cannon of glowing leaves out of its tail the other direction. The two attacks smashed into each other for a moment but quickly the leaves broke through the thunder, from there they slammed into electivire from all sides sending the pokemon to the ground. And with that the battle was over.

"Electivre, Return, well done" Gary returned his Electivire to its pokeball "Hmm, looks like I have quite a bit more work to do before this event. Good battle Ash"

"Thanks Gary. Sceptile that was great". Ash felt a wave of confidence, coming off his loss to Alain there had bit a small amount of doubt in his head but it was nice to know he could beat Gary.

"I think I'm gunna be going. Need some time to get my battling style right but thanks for everything Grandpa. Later" Gary turned and walked away from the Ranch "I'll be seeing you in Hoenn and once there I'll be ready"

"I look forward to it"

Back in the lab Ash, Serena and Tracy were sitting around a table talking about Ash's plans for the tournament.

"It says here you have to register which Pokémon you want to use in the event and you can use up to 24 different ones." Said Tracy while looking at a tablet screen.

"Oh Ash, do you know what pokemon you want to use" said Serena

"24, hmm I think so". Ash had been thinking a lot about which pokemon he would want to use during this tournament. There were certain obvious choices but when he saw 24 that would be a fair number. Ash had a bond with all of his Pokémon but he knew this was a serious challenge and he needed to be at his best. "Where do I need to register.

"It looks like you can sign up in any Hoenn Pokemon Center"

"Sounds good. Hey Tracy have they announced the location of the first few Pokemon Contest over there?"

Serena's heart leaped, in all the excitement of travelling with Ash and this new adventure he was on she had almost forgot her purpose behind going to Hoenn.

"I believe there is one outside Rustboro City in 2 weeks. After that I am not sure. Serena this would be your first contest, right?" Tracy looked up at Serena. Serena simply nodded, suddenly she was very nervous, when she decided to set out on this she thought she would have plenty of time to prepare but 2 weeks seemed awfully soon.

"Don't worry Serena, you are a natural performer". Said Ash with a smile. Serena began to grin a little. The optimism of Ash was so contagious and when she was around him she couldn't help but feel like things would work out.

"If the contest is that soon we should really get going quickly. I was thinking we could stop in Petelburg City and try and meet up with May".

"If that's the plan lets do it".


	3. Chapter 3

The trip from Kanto to Hoenn was easy enough. They arrived in a small place called Olddale town within a few days. Once in the Pokémon center Ash went over to the table marked for registration. "Hello I'd like to register"

A woman behind a computer looked up "ok, let me have your pokedex" Ash took his dex out of his pocket and handed it over. The woman placed it into a slot in the computer. "Ash Katchum form pallet town, just finished top 2 in the Kalos league. Alright, you are all registered. Now here is your battle watch" She took a watch out of a drawer under the table and handed it to Ash with his dex, Ash took it and looked at it. "This watch will keep track of all of your battles during the tournament as well as keep the up to date standings. When you want to have a battle just tap on the battle icon and it will connect you with the trainer close to you who also wants to battle. There is a small sensor in there that will automatically keep track of the outcomes and report them"

"Thanks" Ash put the watch on and clenched his fist "This is going to be amazing. I have a few questions on the rules though"

The woman handed Ash a small pamphlet, "Here is a detailed list of all the rules. Also if you hang out here the opening ceremonies will be broadcasted in a little while and you can watch it here"

"Sounds good. Thanks again". Ash walked back to Serena and showed her the watch. He opened the booklet and started going over the rules.

"So how is this tournament going to work" Asked Serena.

"It says here that I can challenge anyone who is competing that I meet throughout Hoenn once it starts. Every win is worth 5 points and every loss loses 2"

"So the more you win the more points you get?"

"yea, and after 6 months the top 128 trainers compete in a final in Evergrand city. Oh, man I am so totally psyched for this"

Serena smiled, she loved seeing Ash when he was this enthusiastic about something. It was just impossible not to be excited around Ash when he was like this. "So, you are all ready

"Yea, now what about you. You ready to win your first ribbon"

Serena looked down, when Tracy had told them that the first contest was so soon she had plenty of doubts about her ability to be ready. Ash had spent the last few days talking her up and while they were travelling it was easy to believe that Ash was right and she would figure it out, but the contest seemed a whole lot sooner here in Hoenn.

"I don't know Ash, what if I'm not ready?"

"Serena, you are a natural performer and a contest is just that. I'm not saying it will be easy but you are going to be fine. Don't forget you made it to the finals of the Master Class in a short time"

There was that positive attitude again and it was infectious, when talking to Ash Serena was always a lot more confident. "Ok Ash I'm ready". Ash and Serena walked over to the set of Tv's on the wall. There was a decent sized crowd gathered around.

"Looks like the opening ceremonies is about to start" said a kid towards the front

An announcer called out from the TV "in order to start this master cup off right we are going to kick thing off with a very special battle. The champions of Kanto and Jhoto will face off. So without further ado lets select the battle field and get our pokemon" A spinner went around a few times before landing on the water icon. "Looks like a water battle field" Ground between the two champions dropped and a huge pool came up to replace it. In the pool there were 10 or so round floating platforms and a small platform around the entire edge of the pool.

The referee holding a green and red flag came over the mic "This will be a single Elimination contest between Scarlett and Lance. The match will be over when either sides Pokémon is unable to battle".

The trainers faced each other from opposite sides of the battle field. Lance was in his classic black and red with a cape that draped down his back. His spiked red hair stayed still even with the slight breeze that filled the air. Scarlett had on a black shirt and skirt with an open red and white red and white jacket. Her jet-black hair was beneath a red and white baseball cap.

Lance tossed a ball in his hand before throwing it. "Gyrados, come on out" the giant red Pokémon appeared with the top of its body coming out of the water.

"I had a feeling that might be the choice, well then let's see you handle this. "Houndoom, on my mark". Scarlett threw her ball and the fire Pokemon landed on the rectangular platform at the edge of the pool

"Well, this is suprising, the kanto champion chooses a fire type, not only against a water type but also on a field where it will be at a huge disadvantage. However, this wouldn't be the first time we've seen some out of the box thinking from her" The announcer chuckled.

The referee raised his flags "Begin"

"Gyrados, start this off with Hydro Pump" The water pokemon let out a huge jet of water directly at its opponent

"Dodge that and flamethower" Houndoom jumped to one of the disks and then leaped in the air above Gyrados firing off a flamethrower directly down, the attack smashed into Gyrados's head and the Pokémon let out a cry. The crowd cheered loudly at this.

"give em Aqua tail" the serpent lowered its head and raised its tail out of the pool surrounded by a strong stream of water. With a flick knocked Houndoom of the platform it was standing on ans send it smashing into the wall. Houndoom landed on the edge and got to its feet. Many fans on Lance's side of the stadium were on their feet screaming in support of the Jhoto trainer.

"Use Crunch" Houndoom leaped from disk to disk with its teeth barred.

"Come on, you really think that is going to work, Gyrados dive down and avoid it"

A smile appeared on Scarlett's face, "After it" Houndoom charged after Gyrados and went directly into the pool. A shocked cry was heard throughout the crowd. Once under water it couldn't move around as well so Gyrados easily avoided the oncoming Crunch.

"Not sure why you would willfully hand me such a huge advantage but in that case, Aqua tail" Gyrados began swimming towards where Houndom was now standing.

"Overheat" a massive swell of heat now emanated off Houndoom and within seconds the entire pool began to steam, the force of the heat pushed Gyrados back and it was now against the wall of the pool. "Great Houndoom, now take it all the way" Steam was now billowing off the top of the pool as more and more heat came from the fire type bellow

With a little bit of panic Lance screamed "Gyrados get out of there" Gyrados swam to the top and took refuge on the edge. The hot water had clearly taking its toll on the water Pokémon

"Would it be me if I was any less"

After a few more moments the entire pool had evaporated before Houndoom's attack, the battle field now consisted simple a normal floor that just happened to be 13 feet below the trainers.

"So, this was you plan all along, you never fail to surprise me Scarlett,"

"I will take that as a compliment"

"Alright, Gyrados, it seems this is how they want to play it. Use Hydro Pump right in front of Houndoom then jump down and use thrash" Gyrados let a jet of water that struck the ground directly in front of Houndoom sending a pulse of water all around it, then jumped off the edge and prepared to slam into its foe"

"Catch it with crunch" Houndoom barred its teeth and jumped through the plumb of water, it took one hit from the side of Gyrados's body before locking its jaws on the thinner part at the end of its tail. "Great now send it flying" The fire dog took 1 spin and then flung the serpent into the air. "finish this with dark pulse". A Black and purple spiral came out of Houndoom's mouth and hit Gyrados squarely in the center of its body, sending it even further into the air

"We aren't finished just yet, show them your Dragon Rage" A yellow ball of energy began charging around Gyrados's mouth.

"If that's how you want to play it, flamethrower" a wave of fire was expelled directly towards Gyrados just as it let off the ball of energy. The two attacks smashed into each other and exploded in mid-air. Gyrados and Houndoom were pushed in opposite directions both smashing into opposing walls and falling to the ground. The referee walked forward anticipating making a call. After a brief moment, the two Pokémon began trying to get up, Houndoom was on its feet but barely off the ground. Gyrados had lifted its head but the entire rest of its body was still motionless.

"Come on Houndoom" Scarlett yelled

"You've got this Gyrados"

Another moment passed and Houndoom had gotten back on its feet, it was panting heavaliy and anyone could see it was moments from fainting. Gyrados began moving its long body forward but exertion got the best of it and the red serpent fell to the ground.

The referee raised the green flag and declared Houndoom and Scarlett the winner.

"Well there you have it, in the opening ceremonies the number 1 ranked trainer in the world continues her dominance and creativity. Looks like this time Kanto reigns supreme"

The field had reverted to its original form and the two champions were now shaking hands in the middle. The announcer had walked out and handed the mic to scarlett.

"Thank you, Lance, for such an exciting battle. I hope that this will inspire all of you trainers to compete at the same level throughout this tournament. We still have 2 weeks of sign ups and then the tournament will official begin. Until then prepare your Pokémon and your minds."

"Oh wow, that was so cool" Ash said excitedly as he turned to Serena "The way she changed the battle field and the power of all of their moves. That is the level I want to be"


	4. Chapter 4

Once Ash was registered attention turned to training. They began making their way to Rustboro City slowly, spending most of the day preparing for their respective challenges. For Ash, this meant a full evaluation of every member of his team. Some of this Pokémon hadn't been used in a very long time and this new format meant every battle needed to be taken seriously. Serena needed to prepare as well and she tried her best to design a new routine but everything felt off. She was a performer but taking herself out of it wasn't easy. Ash told her that since it was just one pokemon there was less to worry about but it required an entire shift in thinking and that was not something that just happened. Ash also told her that once she experienced a contest she would see what she needed.

Originally they had planned to meet up with May in Petelbug on the way but they spoke to her and she told then she would meet then on the road outside Rustboro City. They stopped in a meadow where Serena continued to design her routine. After a half an hour of training a girl with a green bandana and orange shirt came running up waving her hand in her air.

"Long time no see", May said enthusiastically

"It's great to see you May", Ash smiled as he greeted her

May looked at Serna and stuck out her hand, "You must be Serena. I'm May, Ash has told me all about you. Your competing in the contest, here right?"

Serena blushed and shook May's hand "Nice to meet you May, Yea I'll be competing" she looked down easily displaying her lack of confidence.

"What's wrong?"

Serena continued to look down, she wasn't sure she could admit to her fears in front of May. With everything that was happening with Ash she didn't want to look bad to a girl Ash used to travel around with. The problem was words just didn't come

Ash smiled at Serena, "don't worry Serena you'll do great"

"Aww thanks Ash, I guess I'm just nervous"

"I saw some of your showcase performances, they were so beautiful. Just do that in a contest and you will be fine"

Serena began to feel better but she still couldn't contain all of her nerves. She knew that she could design a routine that her pokemon could execute, but the battles still terrified her.

After spending some time chatting the three made their way towards Rustboro city to sign up. May spend much of the time updating Ash about her family. Max had left a little while ago to start his own journey choosing Treecko as his first pokemon. Of course, he was still too young and inexperienced enough to compete in the Master Cup so he decided to start his quest in the Jhoto region. It didn't take too long before they could see the Devon Corp building in the distance and soon the rest of the city.

"look there it is" May said excitedly as they came upon the contest hall "oh man, I can't believe I am back here" May smiled wide and looked at Ash

"have you competed here before May" asked Serena 

"well no, this hall is where I saw my first contest though. It was very early in my journey and I didn't know what I wanted to do yet"

"Really? You didn't know you wanted to be a coordinator right from the start?"

May laughed a little and looked at Ash "When I first started out I didn't really know how to deal with pokemon at all, I mostly just wanted to travel. But then I saw a contest and realized how fun they were"

Serena smiled and thought to herself that it wasn't all that different from how she got on her journey toward her dream. They entered the contest hall and walked over to the sign-up table. May simple placed her pokedex in the slot and it flashed her name. Serena had to speak to the women behind the table to get registered and get her ribbon case.

Once registered Serena and May made their way to the dressing rooms to prepare. At this point May had her pre-contest routine down pat. For all the nerves Serena felt remarkable comfortable in the preparation. This was something she knew she could do well and it was nice to do something that felt normal. In the meantime Ash stood backstage waiting for his friends to come out when he spotted a girl with short red hair and a white dress coming toward him.

"Zoey!"

"Hey Ash, long time no see" Zoey reached out her hand "I didn't expect to see you here, don't tell me you're competeing"

"Ash shook Zoey's hand "Nah, im just here to cheer on my friends"

"Oh, whose competing" Zoey said with the slightest hint of worry

"Well you remember May, and Serena I met on my Kalos Journey. She decided to try contests in Hoenn and I am going to be competing in the master cup"

"That makes sense. Great it will be nice to see May again and meet Serena" Zoey face hinted at relief and Ash couldn't figure out why.

"Hey Zoey" May had come out of the dressing room wearing her Salmon top with a long pink skirt and a pink head scarf. "I think Serena is going to be a little while, she was really taking her time"

May looked at Ash with an inquisitive look "So Ash, what exactly is going on between you two?" at this Zoey perked up and looked at Ash.

Ash was clearly thrown off by this question and not totally sure how to respond. He knew something was going on with him and Serena but then they still hadn't talked about what it was. Not only that he was worried about throwing Serena off when she was just starting this new challenge with contests. "Uhhh, I don't really know"

"Come on Ash, anyone can see that you two are more than friends."

"More than friends I think. It's hard to say we haven't really talked about it"

May had a cheeky smile "Has anything happened?" she stared right at Ash and Zoey followed suit

"She kissed me back while we were in Kalos" at this May let out a little squeal "but that was when we thought we were going our separate ways. We have yet to figure out what is happening since we found out we were going to be travelling together"

May started to say something but Serena came out of the dressing room. She was wearing her dark pink dress and a light link ribbon in her hair.

"Serena, I would like you to meet a friend of mine" he gestured toward Zoey "she is a coordinator also I met her back in the Sinnoh region"

Zoey eyes went up and down Serena's outfit and then she stuck out her hand "nice to meet you and good luck out there today"

Serena took her hand "thanks, you two, but Ash I thought the Coordniator you traveled with in the Sinnoh region was named Dawn" Zoey looked away trying to hide a depressed look

"oh yea, see Zoey and I didn't travel around together but she was a bit of a rival to Dawn so we ran into eachother a lot. Also, Zoey actually beat me in the first official contest I competed in"

"wait I didn't know you competed in contests"

Ash chucked "only a few, I was never really good"

An announcement came over the speaker and told them the appeals round was about to begin and the coordinators in the first group should make their way to behind the main stage. Only Zoey was in the first group so she walked over to the door.

Out on the stage a woman in a red dress stood in the center and three people sat behind a table. "Hello contest fans, welcome to the Rustboro city Pokémon contest. I'm your host Vivian Meridian and joining me on stages is the finest group of judges around. We have the director of the contest committee Mr. Contesta, the head of the Pokémon fan club, Mr. Sukizo and of course, Rustboro's very own nurse Joy" I hope you all are ready for a great show, so Let's get busy. First up we have a 2-time ribbon cup winner, from Snowpoint City its Zoey"

Zoey ran out on stage, pokeball in hand "Leafeon curtain" Lefeon burst from its ball surrounded by a shower of multicolored stars. "Double Team" a dozen leafeons appeared all in a circle all moving together "jump and magical leaf" all the leafeon's jumped and perfectly shaped dark green petals came out of the leaf on their head flying towards eachother. The afterimages simply disappeared as the petals reached the center leaving just one "leaf blade" Suddenly Leafeon was underneath the petal and sliced it with a now sharp leaf on its head, causing it to burst into tiny pieces now floating in the air. "Energy ball" Leafeon fired a green ball into the air which pulled all the scattered pieces into it. When it reached its highest point it burst into a wonderful shower of green sparkles. Leafeon and Zoey took a bow as the crowd erupted in a cheer.

"what an inedible first appeal but let's hear that the judges have to say" Vivian said into the mic as she gestured towards the scorer's table.

"an excellent show of beauty and precision" remarked Mr. Contesta

"yes, remarkable"

"it is obvious Zoey has taken fantastic care of her Pokémon" said Nurse Joy

Zoey returned Lefeon to its pokeball and walked off stage, she quickly returned to the waiting area where she found Ash standing by himself. May and Serena had moved backstage to get ready to go on.

Ash noticed Zoey walking towards him "wow, that was a great performance, your Lefeon is looking great"

Zoey smiled "Thanks Ash" It was clear to Ash that something was bothering Zoey and he had a feeling about what it might be

"Hey Zoey, can I ask you something?", Zoey was scared to answer but after a brief hesitation she nodded. "You seemed upset when Serena mentioned Dawn before. And I noticed that Dawn hasn't really mentioned you when we have talked recently. Did something happen between you two". A look of true panic appeared on Zoey's face, this wasn't a topic that she had discussed with anyone, many thoughts raced through her head as she tried to decide what to tell Ash.

After another long pause, she finally made up her mind, "I did something really stupid. A few months ago, at a gala where the top Sinnoh coordinators were being honored. It should have been a fun night with great food and dancing. But I guess that's how it went wrong, Dawn and I were dancing together and I kissed her, right there in the middle of this room full of people.

Ash took a step back, he had a feeling this might be about Dawn but it was a little further then he would have though. Ash always had suspicion that something like this would happen eventually but hearing it straight out was a bit different "What happened"

"I came to my senses, as soon as I realized what happened I ran out of the room. I was so embarrassed I couldn't bear to go back. Later I remembered that I had just left Dawn in the middle of the room there, and I felt awful, I've been so scared I haven't talked to her since".

Ash could see all the hurt in her eyes and he really felt for her but he didn't know what to say. Dawn was his close friend and he wanted to know how she was dealing with all this. Zoey was such an important part of her life and this had to add a ton of confusion. "I'm sorry Zoey, I wish I knew a way to help"

"its alright Ash, It was my mistake and I'll have to live with it"

"And our next contestant from Petelburg City, the Princess of Hoenn herself, Its May"

Ash and Zoey looked over to the monitor in front of them and say May running onto the stage

"Skitty Take the stage"

The pink Pokémon came out of its pokeball surrounded by swirls of pink hearts and landed in the middle of the stage. "Blizzard", Skitty jumped and into the air and blew white snow into the air which collected above in a white cloud. "Double slap" Skitty jumped again and swatted the cloud with its tail twice causing a light snowfall to surround Skitty. "Skitty let's try Assist" the crowd let out a stunned but excited cheer, a white ball appeared in Skitty's right paw before releasing a stream of silver air directly forward

"Looks like its Silver Wind from Assist, just gorgeous" came from the announcer, the crowd's stunned cheer turned to thunderous applause with the move paying off

"Skitty lets finish this with copycat" now locked into Silver Wind, Skitty pointed its Paw above and launched the silver stream of air directly up above sending a cascading wave of silver pulses once the attack reached its climax. May and Skitty turned towards the scorer's table and took a bow. The crowd continued its applause.

Zoey turned to look at Ash "What a gutsy move, using assist like that, but following it up with copycat is brilliant"

"I remember when she first used that move, in a contest. She likes it because the risk involved really gets the crowd into it and she feels she can adapt to whatever comes"

"Hmmm" Zoey stared off in thought

Two more contestants made their appeals before finally getting to Serena, She couldn't got a reasonable view of the coordinators and watching their performances actually calmed her nerves, she felt good about her routine and could see she was thinking the right way from the few she saw.

"Now a very special treat, all the way from Vananville town in the Kalos region we have Serena"

"Braixen lets show em", the fox came out in a spinning disk of fire, holding its branch, landing on its paws, and immediately jumping into a double front flip. "Lets Dance Braixen" Braixen began moving around the stage bouncing between its two legs as it went, mixing in several pirouettes. "Flamethower" orange flames appeared at the end of its branch "now Twirl it" without stopping its dance Braixen began twirling its branch like a baton creating a lasso of fire. After a few moment of dancing Serena yelled "Fire Blast" Braixen stopped dancing and raised its branch, the fire formed a circle as it spun, then inside the circle the classic fire blast symbol appeared. "Now throw it" Braixen realsed the circle of fire into the air and it exploded into tiny dots of embers as it reached the edge of the stage. Braixen and Serena turned towards the scorer's table with a big smile and each did a curtsey.

Back in the player's area, May had joined Ash and Zoey. "That was her first ever contest appeal?" May asked excitedly "She is a really great preformed" Zoey mealy gave a thumb's up. Serena came through the doors and ran over to Ash, by the time she got there the announcement of the finalists was underway.

"Now we will find out which 8 coordinators will move on to the contest battle round" Vivian pointed up at the screen above and 8 pictures flipped into view. May and Zoey were one, two respectively with just a hair separating them. Serena's heart leapt when she saw her picture sitting in seventh place. She had made it through.

"Congratulations Serena, you were great out there"

"Thank you, Ash," She couldn't hold back a blush. She looked around to her two competitors, May was smiling wide but Zoey now had a look of business. She realized that based on the standings they would be going up against each other in the first round.


	5. Chapter 5

There was a break between the rounds so Ash Serena and May went to get some lunch. Zoey told them she had to prepare for the battle. They found a small café a few minutes from the contest hall, and ordered some food. "Wow Serena, that was an amazing routine" May said with a big smile

"You thought so?"

May nodded, "Your Braixen looked really beautiful and the control over that fire was incredible"

"Thanks, but it wasn't as good as yours. I can't believe you were able to use a move like assist when you don't know what might come out"

"well see that's the point. Not knowing means I have to adapt and it helps me bring a certain energy to the stage"

"And the crowd really loves it too, since it is so unexpected" chimed in Ash. Serena thought about this and how the unexpected would add more attention to the pokemon and move being used, but it also created several problems with choreographing it. "Hey May, how is Drew"

May smiled for a moment "He is great" then sadly looked down "it is hard though, not being with him" May saw the confused look on Serena's face "Drew is my boyfriend, but he is also a coordinator. It would be safe to say we are rivals."

Ash laughed, remembering the contest battles between the two

"You are dating one of your rivals?" Serena asked

May chucked "we were rivals before we started dating, we challenged each other and it made each of us better coordinators. After a while we realized we had feelings for each other. The only problem was we were still competitors"

"How did you manage?"

"I don't really have an answer to that. At first, we thought we could just compete like everything was normal but that quickly proved to be impossible. We couldn't exactly travel together if we were going to compete in the same contests since we each wanted to keep our training hidden from each other. We talked about simply competing in different contests, but the travel schedule would be impossible. For now, we decided we would travel separately from each other but spend as much time together when we had breaks from events. It has been better but as I said, it is hard not to be with him"

Ash smiled at May, "I'm sure you two will figure it out" he knew how much she liked Drew from back in their initial Hoenn days. "I just hope you guys are as fierce competitors"

"isn't a problem"

After finishing their lunch, May, Ash, and Serena made their way back to the contest hall. May's breezed through her first match, using her Venasuar to beat a Gabite. On her way, back to the player area she walked past Serena in the moments before her match. Serena stood leaning on the wall. May saw her hand shaking slightly. "Serena don't worry, just go out there and preform"

"Thanks a lot" Serena smiled at May, as she heard her name being called. She ran out to a cheer from the crowd and saw Zoey standing opposite her.

"Five minutes on the clock, let's begin"

"Glameow, curtain"

"here we go braixen"

Both pokemon appeared in front of their trainers. Vivian raised her arms and the timer began dropping. "Braixen do a summersault and then flame thrower" the fox tumbed forward and then raised its branch directing a stream of fire towards Glameow

"Jump Glameow" just before the fire reached Glameow jumped off its back legs. Not to be detured, braixen swung its branch redirecting the flame upward striking Glameow from bellow. The crowd erupted.

"Amazing, braixen used its incredible control over fire to change the direction of the attack. That will be worth some points", and Zoey's bar dropped accordingly

"Glameow", the cat landed on all fours and snarled. "Iron tail". Glameow jumped forward and turned to swing its now glowing tail.

"do three back flips to get out of the way" perfectly choreographed, Braixen jumped backwards and avoided iron tail. Once again, the crowed reacted and Serena began feeling confident. Her moves were working exactly as she had planned.

"Another great moved from Serena, she really knows what she is doing. Looks like we are down to three minutes left". Zoey's points took another dip.

"Hidden power", Braixen raised its branch and multicolored balls of light appeared in a circle around it, before sending them at Glameow.

"Counter with furry swipes. Glameow charged forward and slashed its claws returning the hidden power back at braixen. This caught Braxien off guard and the pokemon stumbled back as it was hit with the returned attack. "Iron tail" Glameow's tail glowed again as the pokemon squared up for the attack.

"Braixen dodge it again"

Zoey smiled "not again, straighten your tail" this time while swinging, Glameow strained its tail, increasing the length striking Braixen causing the fire pokemon to fall forward.

"I don't think we can count a champion out yet, Zoey used the variable nature of Glameow's tail to great effect there" Serena's points now fell brining the match to an almost even state, with Zoey in a slight lead

"Braixen no, can you get up?" Braixen staggered to its feet. "Fire Blast" With a wave of its branch the Fire Blast symbol was launched at Glameow.

"thunderbolt, yellow electricity swired inside Glameow's tail and cut right through the fire blast and shocked Braixen. The impact of the jolt brought Braixen to the ground.

"And that is it, with a TKO, Zoey moves on to the next round".

Zoey and Glameow turned the crowd and took a bow and walked off the stage. Meanwhile, Serena returned Braixen to its ball and just stared at it unable to move. Of course, she had lost before but there was something different this time. After about a minute she began slowly walking back to the player area. When she saw Ash, she walked right past him into the dressing room.

"Well folks, looks like we have our finals and boy is it a doozy. Two-time ribbon cup winner Zoey against the princess of Hoenn herself May. So, without further ado put 5 minutes on the clock and let's get busy" Zoey and May were already in their positions.

"Gallade, curtain"

"Blaziken, take the stage" both Pokémon appeared in front of their respective trainers

"get this going with Psyco Cut" Gallade's arms glowed with purple energy as it glided forward raising its arm as it got within striking distance of Blaziken

"dodge it" Blaziken gracefully shifted its torso moving just enough to dodge Gallade's swinging arms. Zoeys points took a hit "Great now sky uppercut" Blazien brought a blue glowing fist almost to the ground before punching straight up into Gallade's chest hurling it into the air. Gallade landed on its feet but was visibly shaken from the attack and Zoey's points took another dip. "follow it up with another sky uppercut" lowering its fist once more, Blaziken jumped towards its opponent.

"You're not the only one who can dodge" Now this time Gallade shifted to avoid the punch from Blaziken, "Psyco cut" with Blaziken off balance from the missed attack, Gallade swung down with its purple blade knocking the fire type to the ground and taking a big chunk out of May's points leaving her with just a slim lead.

"Blaziken are you alright?" Blaziken began pushing itself to its feet

"Now would be a good time for swords dance" Gallade raised its arms and pirouetted around the stage sharpening its arms. In the meantime, Blaziken got back on its feet

"Ok, time to use overheat" Blaziken formed a massive, spinning ball of fire and sent it at Gallade"

"I had a feeling you might do something like that, Psychic" Gallade's eyes turned blue and suddenly the ball of fire stopped and was held still in the center of the stage.

"Fire spin" Blaziken formed a spiral of fire that surrounded the stuck overheat causing it to explode pushing both pokemon back, but Gallade took the brunt of it. As both pokemon rose once more the clock read 3 minutes remaining and May held onto her lead.

"Galade move in on Blaziken". With grace galade moved toward blaziken, it looked almost as if the psychic type was gliding on the stage. "Brick break", as Galade got close it raised its arms above its head as they turned blue.

"Counter with Sky uppercut" lowering its fist, blaziken launched its whole body into the punch, meeting galades arm in the air just as birck break began to lower. The force definitely favored Blaziken "Great Blaziken"

"I don't think so, Galade pull in your arm and use psycho cut" Galade pulled its arm using break break away, causing blaziken to stumble forward, then swung down hard with its other arm in a gash of purple light. Blaziken took the attack in the shoulder and dropped to its knees. The whole sequence cost May in points and her lead evaporated. As the battle moved into its final two minutes.

"Blaziken can you get up" with effort Blaziken returned to its feet. May looked a little shaken but quickly shook it off.

"Psychic" Galades eyes focused hard on Blaziken and suddenly Blaziken was locked in place.

"Oh No"

Galade kept its hold before throwing blaziken backwards towards the wall.

"Jump off that" Blaziken hit the wall with its legs and bounded off in a powerful jump that launched it through the air. "Sky Uppercut" While in the air Blaziken's dropped its fist and swung it into Gallade before landing back on its feet. The force of the punch combined with the energy from the jump sent Gallade flying into the air.

"psycho cut"

Gallade landed, got to its feet and charged

"Dodge it" Blaziken jumped into the air and avoided the attack.

The buzzer sounded and the battle was over. Both coordinators looked up at the board.

Vivian walked onto the stage, "And the winner is May" The crowd roared, cheering hard for their Hoenn born star.


End file.
